Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Endurance of a Horse

When it comes to the world of sports, endurance is a trait that is necessary to achieve success, win awards, and have medals pinned to one’s chest. But there are many sports where the person is not really the one that must pass the endurance test – it is the creature logothey sit upon.

Equestrian sports are actually lovely to the eyes. The mighty steed is stunning; the rider weaving and leading the creature through the maze of jumps is incredibly graceful; even when heading through the woods after that sly fox, the world of chivalry is once again born, along with the actual sport. Many think of the equestrian sports as ‘British’ sports; a human and animal riding in perfect symmetry, dressed and groomed well, looking as if the 1800s have been resurrected.

But there is a subset of this sport that is all about endurance, and the training that needs to be undergone is almost painful to think Tevis cupabout. Called endurance riding, this sport is actually based on planned-out, controlled, long-distance races...